Puncture-closer.



No. 868,248. PATENTED OCT. 15, 1907.

D. APSTEIN. I

PUNOTURE CLOSER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 11. 1907.

W/TNESSES lNVENTOH A TTOHNE) DAVID APSTEIN, OF BRIDGE-PORT, CONNECTICUT.

PUNCTURE-CLOSER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 15, 1907.

Application filed March 11, 1907. Serial No 361,844.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that 1, DAVID Ars'rnm, a citizenof the United States, residing at Bridgeport, county of Fairlield, Stateof Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Puncture-Closer, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention has for its object to provide a simple, easily andquickly operated and inexpensive combined puncture closer and operatingtool therefor.

With this end in view the invention comprises a flexible closer, athreaded shank by which the closer is carried, a nut on the shank forretaining the closer in place, a hand piece on the shank for rotatingthe shank in setting the closer to place on the inner side of a tire anda cutter on the shank for enlarging a puncture in a tire to permit theinsertion of the closer.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, Figure1 is a plan view of my novel closer; Fig. 2 a section of the nut andcloser on the line 2,2 in Fig. 1, the shank and cutter being inelevation; Fig. 3 a similar view showing a slightly variant form ofcutter; Fig. 4 a detail section on an enlarged scale on the line 44 inFig. 3; and Pig. 5 is a sectional view illustrating a form in which theshank is adapted to be rotated independently of the closer.

1O denotes the closer which is made of soft rubber and has the generalconfiguration of a cone with a rounded point indicated by 11 and a thinedge indicated by 12.

The base of the closer is preferably hollowed out more or less as at 13,rendering the edges thinner and more flexible and adapting the closer toshape itself readily to the concave inner face of a pnuematic tire whendrawn to place.

14 denotes a shank which is threaded to receive a nut 15 which may ormay not be padded. At the inner end of the shank is a head 16. Thecloser may be rigidly secured to the shank as in Figs. 3 and 4, or thecloser may be rotatably attached to the shank as in Fig. 5, aspreferred. In the form illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, the closer ismolded upon the head. In order to secure the closer firmly upon theshank and prevent the possibility of the shank being pulled out, Ipreferably roughen head 16 and place patches 17 of textile material onopposite sides thereof, the shank being passed through the patch on theinner side of the head. These patches are secured to each other and tothe roughened headby cement, and when the patches and head are moldedinto the closer it is made practically impossible for the closer tobecome loose on the shank or for the shank to be pulled out of thecloser.

In the form illustrated in Fig. 5, the head is loosely inclosed in ametallic cap indicated by 18. Patches 17 are placed on opposite sides ofthe cap and the cap and patches are molded into the head, leaving thecap and closer, however, independent of the shank and head so that theshank and head may be rotated independently of the cap and closer.

Heretofore puncture closers of this general character have required theuse of tools to enlarge the opening in the tire to permit the insertionof the closer, to insert the closer in place and to lock it there.

The object of my present invention is to provide a puncture closer thatshall provide in its own structure means for enlarging the opening inthe tire, means for inserting it in place in the tire, means for holdingit and means for securing it in place without the use of any other toolswhatever, so that the use of a kit of tools may be dispensed with andpunctures may be quickly and effectually closed by any person withoutskill in the use of tools and without the necessity for carrying tools.The shank itself serves as an inserting and holding tool. It is obvious,however, that in locking the closer to place the shank or nut must berotated relatively to each other. I therefore bend the end of the shankopposite to the closer to a shape to form a suitable hand pieceindicated by 19. This hand piece is formed by curving the shanklaterally and recurving it upward and over past the line of the shanksomething in the form of a sickle so as to form a hand piece that may beconveniently grasped by the hand and which shall be of convenient shapeto impart axial rotation to the shank. At the outer end of the handpiece-that is,

on the portion extending beyond the line of the shank I form a cutterindicated by 20, with which to enlarge an aperture in the tiresufficiently to permit the insertion of the closer. 1 This aperture maybe formed by enlarging the puncture longitudinally by means of thecutter making a slit in the-tire or by inserting the end of the cutterin the aperture and rotating it therein, thus enlarging the aperture.

The special formation of the cutter is immaterial so far as theprinciple of the invention is concerned. The cutter may be formed byflattening the end of the hand piece on opposite sides and formingthereon a spear point, as in Figs. 1 and 2, in which the cutter isspecificallyindicated by 20, or, if preferred, the cutter may be formedas in Figs. 3 and 4 by flattening the underside of the hand piece,forming planes which meet at an angle on the underside of the cutter,the end of the handle being left pointed to permit convenient insertioninto an aperture. This form of cutter is specifically indicated by 20 inFigs. 3 and 4.

The operation is as follows: In repairing a tire, the puncture isenlarged sufficiently by means of the cutter to permit the insertion ofthe closer. The nut is withdrawn on the shank and the closer is forcedthrough the puncture and into the tire, the base of the closer beingpreferably covered with cement so as to cause it to adhere to the innerface of the tire. The closer is then drawn tightly against the tire andthe nut turned down to place on the shank After turning the nut down as1 far as possible, the nut is held and the shank is rotated by means ofthe hand piece, it being immaterial so far 5 as the principle of theinvention is concerned Whether the closer is rotated With the shank, asin Figs. 2 and 3, or Whether the shank is free to rotate independentlyof the closer as in Fig. 5. After the closer and nut are set to place,clamping the tire firmly between them, the portion-0f the shank outsideof the nut is cut 'or broken off flush with the outer face of the nutwhich will project but slightly above the outer face of the tire.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A combined puncture closer and operating tool comprising a threadedshank, a flexible closer carried thereby, a nut for retaining the closerin place, a hand piece on the shank for rotating the shank in settingthe closer to place and a cutteron the end of the shank formed byflattening the end of the hand piece horizontally and forming, thereoncap and patches, a nut for retaining the closer in place, a

hand piece on the shank for rotating the shank in setting the closer toplace and a cutter on the end of the shank for enlarging a puncture in atire to permit the insertion of the closer.

3. A combined puncture closer and operating tool comprising a threadedshank, a flexible closer carried thereby,

nut for retaining the closer in place, a hand piece-formed laterally andre-curved upward and over past the line of the shank, for the purposeset forth, and a cutter on the end of the shank-for enlarging apuncture.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature, in presence of two Witnesses.

DAVID APSTEIN.

Witnesses A. M. 'Woosrrnn, S. W. ArnER'roN.

